Nashville Meets Key Largo at Downtown Songfest in Florida Keys

Take a break from the Buffet-style Trop Rock that’s as ubiquitous as the palm trees in the Florida Keys during the 2nd Annual Downtown Key Largo Songfest on Columbus Day weekend. Sponsored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the three-day Key Largo festival will feature an elite group of Nashville songwriters, who will perform some of their most famous works.

Bud Tower performs at Bayside Grille last year — Photo courtesy of Bayside GrilleFestival-goers can enjoy the free concerts, which will be happening simultaneously, at three of the island's popular tropical venues--Bayside Grille, Key Largo Fisheries Backyard Cafe and Pilot House Restaurant. Key Largo Fisheries is a local favorite for its outdoor deck and dock-side views. Bayside Grille offers a sandy beach with stellar sunsets by the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pilot House is known for its open-air, glass bottom bar.

Some performances will be "in the round" and provide opportunities for the artists to share the tales behind their hit songs. As an added bonus, you can grab your cocktail to-go and travel between the venues on the Island Time trolley, which will provide complimentary shuttle service.

Some of the headliners include Bud Tower, Mark Stephen Jones and Lisa Carver. Tower co-wrote "Red, White and Pink-Slip Blues," sung by Hank Williams Jr., which reached No. 43 on the country singles chart. Plus he wrote "God and Guns,” which is the title track on the eleventh studio album by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jones is a staff writer for Harlan Howard Songs, one of Nashville’s premier indie publishers. He has cuts with Toby Keith, Jake Owen, Hank Williams Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Carver earns a living writing songs on Nashville’s famed Music Row. She has had songs cut by Jewel, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Tanya Tucker and Willie Nelson. She co-wrote “Everyday America” with Sugarland, and it peaked at No. 9 on the country singles chart.

"We are thrilled to welcome such great artists to Key Largo," Bayside Grille owner Robert DiGiorgio said. "We’re eager to hear musicians who are currently shaping the music industry, as well as icons from the past.”